You can call me Grand mama any time

As a Grand mama, the angst of raising teenagers is a thing of the past. No longer do I lift my eyes to the heavens and moan, “Call me Sam, call me anything, but don’t call me Mama as in ‘Mama, there are no clean towels, Mama, there is no shampoo, Mama, I can’t find my mascara, my book report, my locker key.Mama, mama, mama, I have to go to the library 10 minutes ago or the swimming pool or the gym and we have to pick up Susan, Jane and Mary Ann.’”

These days, I get written invitations and sometimes, polite verbal requests.

It’s nice and oh so easy on the nerves.

Friday night at Hilton Head Christian Academy, they had a series of events culminating Spirit Week, their homecoming celebration.

Granddaughter Anna Catherine Graham is a senior and with her fellow class mates was to be honored, not with awards or scholarships, but praised by parents.

Our family made sure to get to the school gymnasium early.

Obviously, everyone else thought that was a good idea and people were already parking way down the road.

Spotting some empty spaces in the bleachers, I made my way up clutching a back saving stadium seat which proved to be totally useless unless the gentleman sitting behind me lopped off his legs. I sat with my knees braced against the generous sized person in front of me assuring him it was nothing personal and held the folded stadium seat close to my bosom.

First on the agenda was a basketball game. Not any old game, but one between HHCA’s boys’ varsity and a creaking alumni group who promptly showed their expertise on the court and edged out by one point the younger players for a well deserved win.

Talk about excitement.

Stars of the evening were the tiny tot cheerleaders who shook their pom poms and danced their way to our hearts.

I would be hard pressed to describe the presentation of the synchronized swim team who performed between two large sheets of blue paper while the music of La Mer drifted across the gym floor.

It was original, well done and absolutely delightful.

The top of the evening was yet to come.

The program for the young men of the senior class had been held in the morning, now the young ladies were to be honored.

One by one, escorted by their proud fathers, these beautiful graduating seniors came to stand in center court while an announcer told of her achievements academic and athletic, social and charitable.

Then, a letter from her father was read as he handed his daughter a single white rose.

Without exception, each man remembered with love and humor the special times spent with this child, now a lovely young woman.

It was Kleenex time.

Did I mention that each of these graduates of so much promise were in exquisite full-length gowns?

The program ended with the homecoming queen of last year crowning her senior class sister as the homecoming queen of 2012.